I had really a great trip to visit Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston with many outstanding students and sincere friends from HSAC last month, and it was very helpful for me to see those famous universities before I decide to transfer to a 4-year college. After a wonderful tour of the Harvard campus, I gained a sense about what other college students are pursuing in their academic life.

             It was a sunny morning when we took an overnight train and got to Boston. Everyone was curious about the journey, and everyone was excited about this trip. Although we had different destinations to visit in this city, we had the same goal. We wanted to discover what academic life looks like at those great universities, and how students there achieved outstanding accomplishments and became successful after their studies. Armed with those questions and curiosity, our group started our adventure at Harvard campus after a short briefing with other companions on this trip. We took the red line subway toward uptown Boston. The subway was crowded like New York City. People were in a hurry during the business hours, but most everyone there was sitting quietly, and some of them were really reading books with much concentrated during that time. Compare with the loudness in New York City, Boston felt more leisurely and comfortable.

            After a short transfer, we arrived at the Harvard campus. It was a huge campus with many odd gothic buildings. The road was clean and broad, while trees and the ground were covered by snow. Harvard’s campus is traditional, which is not as what I thought before. It is not as modern as MIT, but people there have the most modern minds and thinking in the world. I attended the Macroeconomics class in the Emerson Hall with Harvard students, and I found that the theory they talked was deep and profound. The professor was trying to use real-world cases to guide students to solve the problems that they might face after they graduate and enter their career.  It is more specific and applied than just the theory, and it is what students really need for their future development. There are more statistics than formulas, and more assumption than statement. Students cannot wait there and find everything from the existing textbook. Instead, they have to try to figure solutions out by themselves after attempting and exploring, which is more participatory and appreciable. I think this is the most important thing that college students need to learn.

            The Harvard trip really gave me the sense of what an advanced institution looks like, and what kind of student I want to be in the future. This gives me more motivation to pursue higher goals after transferring to a 4-year college, and also makes me feel clearer about what I have to improve in my future study.